Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears was announced this week as the headliner for the Women’s Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meeting.
The Forum will include a luncheon and auction and will be one of the events held during the NRA’s Annual Meeting in Houston from May 27th to 29th.
🇺🇸We're excited to announce that Virginia Lt Gov @WinsomeSears will be our keynote speaker for the 16th Annual NRA Women's Leadership Forum on May 27 in Houston!
— NRA (@NRA) April 8, 2022
Lt Gov Sears is a strong voice for NRA women everywhere, and we can't wait to have her join us and share her story. pic.twitter.com/DdISgWsRAv
Sears set herself apart from a crowded field of primary candidates and won the nomination for lieutenant governor during the unassembled Republican convention in May of last year.
One of the most distinguishing moments of her campaign was the release of a mailer that showed the Marine veteran and former member of the Virginia General Assembly proudly posing with a firearm.
.@HelmerVA finds a picture of a Black woman Marine w/a firearm objectionable.
— Lt. Governor of Virginia – Winsome Earle-Sears (@WinsomeSears) May 15, 2021
Delegate—a Black woman having a gun does NOT “inspire feelings of militancy and separation.”
Our 2A rights protect us & as an immigrant from a 3rd world country, I value them. https://t.co/8JWmVhRRwi
The NRA endorsed Sears’ bid for lieutenant governor in last year’s general election, as well as Jason Miyares’ winning bid for attorney general — while not endorsing Glenn Youngkin in the race for governor because he didn’t return a candidate questionnaire sent to him by the organization.
After a Republican sweep in the Virginia statewide races, including Sears’ campaign for lieutenant governor, NRA-ILA Virginia State Director, D.J. Spiker noted that the “message of ensuring public safety, defending law enforcement, protecting our schools, and [the] right to self-defense clearly resonated with the people” of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
With gun ownership amongst both women and minority communities growing at record rates, it is no wonder that the NRA picked Sears to headline the Women’s Leadership Forum this year.
Even CNN can’t shy away from the fact that in gun stores, “customers are increasingly diverse.” Last summer, Mark Olivia of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) told CNN that “today’s gun owner is younger, includes more women, more minorities and doesn’t just look like the rest of America. They are America.” The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Republican Standard.